Sydney turned a 21-point first-quarter deficit into a statement about its depth and composure on Sunday, beating South East Melbourne 110–99 at Afterpay Arena to reclaim top spot in the NBL. The Phoenix opened with seven three-pointers in five minutes and led 30–9, but the Kings didn't panic. By the final buzzer, they'd made the visitors' extraordinary start feel like a distant memory.
The first quarter was almost two different games. South East Melbourne scored 21 of the first 23 points, then reached 30–9 with its outside shooting in full flight. Sydney answered with a 19–8 finish to the period, reducing the gap to 38–28. That mattered more than the early deficit: the Kings had found a way to defend possessions without letting the Phoenix dictate every shot.
The second quarter flipped the contest. South East Melbourne scored only 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting, including 1-of-9 from three. Sydney's 26-point period put the hosts ahead 54–51 at half-time. Torrey Craig had 13 by the break and Will Johnston had chipped in 12, giving Sydney scoring options beyond its main ball-handler. The NBL's official match review records how the Kings outscored the Phoenix 45–21 after falling behind 30–9.
Kendric Davis then took charge. He scored 12 points and handed out three assists in the third quarter as Sydney extended its lead to 83–70, and finished with 28 points and nine assists. Craig contributed 23 points, five rebounds and three blocks; Xavier Cooks added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Those contributions weren't interchangeable. Davis created and finished, Craig gave the Kings perimeter scoring and defensive disruption, and Cooks provided the rebounding and interior presence that helped sustain the comeback.
The Phoenix did threaten again. Nathan Sobey's shooting helped them close within four with five minutes left, but Sydney scored the next eight points, including a Makuach Maluach dunk, to shut the door. Sobey finished with 33 points and six three-pointers. Yannis Morin posted 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Angus Glover scored 11 in his 200th NBL game. There was no shortage of individual effort, but the visitors couldn't keep their offence functioning through the middle of the contest.
The most uncomfortable number for South East Melbourne may be Skylar Mays' 11 minutes: two points on 1-of-7 shooting. Coach Josh King has stressed that the wider bench and defence need improvement, rather than putting the entire defeat on one import. In the club's post-match comments carried by the NBL, King identified a collective performance problem, with the Phoenix outscored 101–69 across the final 35 minutes.
For Sydney, the result improved its record to 8–3 and restored its place at the top of the ladder. A team that can absorb a 30–9 opening, recover before quarter-time and then win through contributions from Davis, Craig, Cooks and Johnston has more than one way to beat an opponent. That's a valuable quality in a long season, particularly when a match begins about as badly as it possibly could.
South East Melbourne, now 4–7, host Illawarra on Wednesday, 11 November, while Sydney visit Cairns on Friday. The Phoenix's shooting can overwhelm teams in bursts, but this result exposed the cost when the threes stop falling and the defence doesn't hold. Sydney showed the other side of the equation: a dreadful opening doesn't have to decide the game when the response is organised, sustained and shared.
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